Susan Lucci and her husband, Helmut Huber, are speaking out to help others prevent AFib. Credit: Joshua Zuckerman Photography

For more than 40 years, Susan Lucci, 63, has played Pine Valley's manipulative and fearless Erica Kane on "All My Children," leading the soap opera star to act out some truly bizarre scenarios.

But, on rare day off 11 years ago, Lucci received a phone call from her husband, Helmut Huber, 73, that sent chills down her spine, a feeling her TV persona is not familiar with.

Huber had seen his doctor to have a minor shoulder procedure performed, when it was discovered he had atrial fibrillation (AFib), a type of irregular heartbeat that can increase a person's chance of having a stroke by five times.

Lucci took a cue from her character and sprang into action, refusing to let his condition get the best of her or Huber, whom she married in 1969. The couple have two children, actress Liza Huber, 35, and golfer Andreas Huber, 30. Liza is also the mom of Lucci and Huber's two grandsons, Royce, 3, and Brendan, 2.

In an effort to spread the word about AFib, which affects more than 2.3 million people, the couple recently launched the Facing AFib campaign. Lucci and Huber sat down with ParentDish to talk about the condition.

ParentDish: Helmut, what was your reaction when the doctors diagnosed you with AFib?
Helmut Huber: My legs started shaking, I was so terrified. I was healthy as an ox, never had any symptoms, not to mention how there was no history of it in my family.

ParentDish: Susan, did you fall apart?
Susan Lucci: Thank God I was home. My only focus at that moment was to find out what Helmut had. I started calling everyone I knew and was soon led to St. Francis Hospital in Long Island, which not only is 10 minutes from our home, but they had a great team of cardiologists.

PD: Since we are talking 11 years ago and the Internet wasn't then what it is today, where did you gather your information?
HH: I talked to my friends to find a great doctor.

PD: Research indicates 30 percent of those who have AFib don't experience symptoms and therefore don't know they have it. But what are symptoms people should be aware of?
HH: Shortness of breath, a racing heart, a fluttering feeling and dizziness.

PD: How did you tell your two children their dad has a heart condition?
SL: I wanted him to tell them the information and then decide what he wanted to say. I wanted to be careful because we did not want to scare them.
HH: I was blunt. I said, "look, I have a bad heart, so now you guys have to be extra nice to me." (Laughs.)

PD: How did they take the news?
HH: I assured them I was being watched over, by a great team of doctors, and that I was on proper medication. I also told them I would now be following a healthy diet, which means my favorite hot dogs are out.

PD: About 55 percent of AFib patients have altered their lifestyles because they live in fear, while more than 40 percent go on as if nothing ever happened. Which side do you fall on?
HH: I am in between. I have a plan set up so I can still ski, golf and exercise.

PD: Does Susan make you carry a cell phone in case of emergency?
HH: She makes me take it to get the mail, the newspaper, basically everywhere I go. (Laughs.)

PD: Susan, what is your role in keeping him healthy?
SL: I have gone to a number of doctor appointments, so I have all the information I need to know. In terms of diet, my daughter and I make him eat fresh fruit, grilled salmon, lots of fish and vegetables, too. Diet plays a key role in preventing having a stroke.

PD: Are you scared of having a stroke because your chances are greater than some people?
HH: I don't necessarily live in fear, but it is always in the back of my mind.
SL: I don't live in fear day to day, but what's frightening is knowing that his chances of having a stroke are five times greater and it can be fatal. That thought makes my knees shake.

PD: Now that you both are the faces of this campaign, what is your goal going forward?
SL: We taped a public service announcement to say even if you are healthy, get a check up because an EKG will show immediately if you have AFib.

PD: Susan, since you now film "All My Children" on the West Coast, do you let Helmut fly back and forth with you?
SL: Yes, because he is able to walk around on the plane and the doctors have cleared him to fly.

PD: You strike me as a fun couple. What do you do to let loose?
SL: We love dancing and are going to a wedding next weekend where we will dance a lot. We go skiing as a family, we take walks on the beach and spend Sunday nights having a pizza party with our son, daughter, her husband and their two boys. One of our grandsons is 2 years old and the other is 3 years old. Those days are such a thrill.

PD: Is there a resource you find particularly helpful for people to to learn more about AFib?
SL: Yes. They can go to FacingAfib.com and StopAFib.org.

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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 3)

ATTENTIONDarkness is coming all over the world like we have never seen before. The only way to survive is to get into a close relationship with Jesus Christ. He is the light which shines in the darkness. We must turn from our evil ways and seek God with all of our heart before it is too late. The time is short. Seek God now. Do not put your trust in man, but trust in God who loves you and wants you to be a part of His kingdom. I am warning as many people as I can before it is too late. May the Lord be with you.

Superstion only makes the darkness worse, not better. Did the belief that the plague was somehow god's punishment ease it's spread? No, only science and the discovery of a cure. Education is the answer, not some blind adherance to some human's opinion of what eternity is.

mhar4088 is so right. I know that you will receive antagonistic responses to your post, but what you have written is the absolute truth. Jesus states in John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." The powers of darkness will seek to discredit the truth, but God's truth will stand eternally.

Let it be known that God is the truth and the light. He is the ONLY ONE that can bring us out of darkness, the only one that can stop the devil in his tracks. He is the Alpha and the Omega. Amen and Amen.

Amen. I'm not a weird crack pot. Just a normal person who sins and does stupid things. LOL!!! Thankfully, I repent, ask God to forgive me, and believe through JESUS CHRIST that I will spend eternity with Him and all that believe in Him.

I'm a 72 year old male. I suppose I could have a stroke, seeing as I had a "stent' implanted in my heart about 6 years ago. I had no idea I had a heart problem either. I had NO indications of the problem. Only way I found out was I asked the Dr. for VIAGRA. he said I had to have a stress test first. Thats when they found out I had a blockage ( main artery). Go figure?? I ask for Viagra, and, come out with a heart procedure. Actually, I'm glad they found out. I feel just fine today.

That is well said. May many think about our world situation and themess our country is in and turn their thoughts to The Lord who canguide us in these tough times. Trust Him and He will take care of you.

I love Susan Lucci. She is a very talented performer that goes way beyond the bounds of TV. I saw her live at Kravitz Center in West Palm. She was warm, friendly and a real perosn on stage. She even introduced her Mother who is only about 2 ounces larger than Susan!

I looked on their AFib website and was puzzled that the only medical options listed were pills! I was diagnosed with Afib nearly 3 years ago at the age of 54. Medicine (atenolol) was only partially successful in helping the arrythmia so, a few months after diagnosis, I had a procedure called a cardioversion. Under general anesthetic my heart was shocked back into normal rhythm. Since then I've had no recurrence. I take no medicine and feel great. There are other options available that don't involve meds. They should also be explored.

My brother and I each have a variation of AFIB called Atrial Flutter". It is not nearly as threatening as this overly- dramatic article would lead you to believe. 2 interventions are available: cardiac ablation and medication. If these aren't effective, a pacemaker is a remote possibility. An aspirin a day mitigates the stroke risk. Neither my brother nor I have any residual heart damage, so labeling this a "bad heart" is terribly misleading. We both adhere to a vigorous workout regimen and have for 20+ years. In no way are we restricted. The Lucci article is misleading and likely to cause unwarranted anxiety.

I see your point. The aritcle is a little over-dramatic in the sense of urgency as if he could die or have a stroke at any moment. There are two types of fibrilation. Atrial and ventricular. Atrial is the least dangerous. It's when the ventricals aren't pumping blood in one of those episodes that things get really dangerous. And that's usually the case when you have somebody have a cartiac arrest like in public or something when they just keel over and die. The problem with A-fib, they say, is that while the heart is fluttering the blood in the atrial chambers can begain to coagulate and form clots. And you know that ain't good and if you know anything about medicine I don't have to tell you what could happen next. So it really is a serious matter, but in the chronic sense, rarther than the acute sense. It's not like the next episode is going to kill you. But each time it happens that chance of forming a blood clot is there. What everybody needs to do is monitor your own heart rate and look for symptoms of "fluttering" cause this stuff don't always show up on EKGs contrary to what this article states. And there are things they can do to fix it, both with medicine and by means of minimally invasive procedures that can correct the "wiring" problem in your heart that's causing the thing to "short out." Sorry for my bad spelling if there is any.

TheTalkies

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